Black Waves
by The Willow Maiden
Summary: It was supposed to be unsinkable, but the memory of those black waves will haunt me forever. (AU)


Black Waves

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Disclaimer- I do not own.

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_It was supposed to be unsinkable…_

_My heart pounds like a drum and my head is swimming. Angry…upset…betrayed…mourning… Why can't I make up my mind? My world is spinning I can't tell what's up and what's down. The sudden sound of hooves draws my eyes to the window. Father is here. Half concealed by shadowy drapes, I watch as the carriage approaches. The spray from the wheels is lifting up a mist, and as a cold blast of air rips through the curtains, I am thrown back into the dark world of memories. _

It was April the 10th 1912. People of all classes were crowding the docks. From poor farm boys to rich lords, men and women of all walks of life were present. Among them was the lord of a prominent pureblood family. Lord Black stiffly led his wife and daughter to the ship, halting beggars and thieves in their tracks with a ferocious glare.

The RMS Titanic was a marvellous ship, though no self-respecting pureblood would ever admit to appreciating a muggle creation. Keeping such thoughts from his mind, Lord Black strode with purpose; he was there for one reason and one reason only.

_I turn from the window. Mother sits upon her bed, her questioning eyes large and panicky. Unable to bring myself to speak, I nod. My eyes fall to the floor as she turns away. Words are unable to express how she feels, how I feel. I wish this had never happened. It's been a disaster from the beginning._

_Moving across the room, I can just see, from the corner of my eye, how Mother flinches as my feet make too much sound. Anger bubbles up inside me, soon turning a barley repressible rage. I force myself to take a deep breath before stomping across the room, floor boards squeaking, and throw myself on my bed. How can she possibly care about that? After all we've been through; I still have to be perfect! I can't be perfect!_

Holding out his hand, the Lord assisted his lady on board, his daughter left to follow quietly behind. It was her fault after all, her fault that his Lady was forced to leave her responsibilities at home. Her fault that she was going to miss so much of her final year of school, which in turn meant he would have to support her more because she wouldn't be given a job. It was already hard enough for her as a female, and now she had to go and ruin everything he had worked so hard to build up for her.

Lord Black loved his daughter, and he would hate for anyone to think otherwise. He was the head of a respectable, important and rich family though, and she had expectations to live up to. Expectations that weren't even nearly met. Pushing aside all his emotions, he had known she needed to learn a lesson. Spending so much time with muggles would provide her with an experience. How lucky she was to be born who she was, and not one of the filthy creatures boarding the ship.

Glancing back, he saw her expression and his resolve almost broke. She loved the manor, and she loved school. The young Miss Black was going to have a hard time forgiving him for this, but she needed it. It was for her own good, and his sanity.

_I squeeze my eyes shut and try to keep the tears at bay. Oh why couldn't I have traded places with him? He had so much more to live for, I would do anything… Mother is ignoring me; I think I have worn her out. I suppose it is good, she can't scold me that way. I can be left to my thoughts, of him. _

She was walking along the deck, her had balance adjusted to the rocking of the ship hours ago. Staring out into the blue water, she was so lost in thought she hardly noticed him approaching. He hadn't seen her, and if it weren't for a sudden wave startling her out of her daydreams, she wouldn't have had time to slip away.

Peeking around from behind the crates, she stopped, mesmerised. There he was, standing alone. A muggle, yet perfectly ordinary, and certainly human. As another approached, she started to feel cornered, but the feeling went away when he laughed. Oh, his laugh… It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. None of her father's bard's music could ever bring her the joy she felt at the sound of his voice.

Miss Black's thoughts suddenly sent her an intense wave of fear. How could she be thinking that? What would her father say? Why must she always betray herself? Her breath coming in short, quiet breaths, she crept away.

_Voices drift up through the floorboards. Harsh, cold voices. Shouting and anger. I try to block them out. I know he is coming, but I need more time. Much, much more time._

It was late at night. The fog was thick and the visibility poor. Miss Black was out on the deck in the cold wind, her hair whipping around her as she watched. She knew it was silly, she knew it could never happen, but she was infatuated. Infatuated with a muggle. How she was angry with herself. She had been spending her nights crying softly, wishing it could have been different. Wishing he was like her.

She spent her days silently watching from a distance. Like a lioness stalking her prey, she followed him, day after day. A bond formed on her part. She would never be separated from him easily.

Or so she thought. It was not yet midnight when it happened. The shouts alerted her that something was wrong. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she knew it was serious when the ship rocked slightly. It wouldn't have worried her, if not for the terror in her gut. She just knew something was going to happen. It did. The next hour passed in a blur. Screams and wails of absolute terror. Chaos and insanity. As her mother shoved her into a lifeboat, she woke up. The noises became clearer, and she could make out her mother's frantic cries. Spinning around to f ace the ship, she watched as the lifeboats were deployed, half empty, and those left on the titanic were sentenced to death.

A quick glance around told her all she needed to know. It was the upper class women and children who had been saved. He had to be on the Titanic. She screamed and thrashed, trying to get back. Several women held her back, and eventually she stilled. Curling into a ball crying.

It was supposed to be unsinkable. Yet as she raised her head, she saw him. His dark brown eyes looking right into hers, if only for a brief moment, she stopped crying. She looked right back. They kept eye contact until it was too late. The ship went down, taking him down with it. She never knew his name.

_It was supposed to be unsinkable, but the memory of those black waves will haunt me forever._

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Thanks for reading Black Waves :) Please let me know what you think.

~Willow


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